Military aeroplane or the like



Eta-5x15 O. A. ROSS.

MILITARY AEROPLANE OR THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14, I917.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

2 SHEETS- SHEET I 89 QRBNANCE,

0. A R0ss. MLlTARY AEROPLANE'OR THE LIKE.

APPLICATION HLED SEPT. 14, 1917,

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- anveufo'z 05044 E05; 225 attozme OSCAR A. ROSS, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

MILITARY AEROPLANE OR THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 10, 1920,

Application filed September 14, 1917. Serial No. 191,437.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR A. Boss, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at 115 Carnegie Hall, New York city,

pilot when the former is operating below the body of the aeroplane.

Another object is to furnish means by which the gun can be quickly transported from the top to the under side of the aerocounty of New York, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Implane. provement in Military Aeroplanes or the All the above and other objects sought are like, of which the following is a speoificaattained by the aeroplane, which for the tion. purpose of illustration, is shown in the ac- This invention upon which is based my companying drawings, in which:

present application for Letters Patent per- Figure 1, is a part side section and elevatains to aeroplanes particularly of the type tion of the center portion of an aeroplane known as military aeroplanes and has for equipped with my improvement. its more prominent objects the attainment Fig. 2, is a View taken on line AA, of in a more effective and economical manner Fig. 1.

of the results, or operations hereinafter Fig. 3, represents diagrammatically the ifi d, area of a sphere commanded by a forward Primarily the purpose in view is to mounted gun now in common use in wargreatly increase the spherical range of a fare. rapid fire gun such as is mounted on mili- Fig. 4, represents diagrammatically the tary aeroplanes. It is generally conceded that in warfare the aeroplane operating at the highest altitude has the advantage over ones at lower altitudes. However, with the guns mounted on the top of the body, or wing, as is customary, it becomes necessary to point and therefore speed the aeroplane downward to permit aiming at an adversary below. In this manner should the attacking party fail to disable said adversary his advantage is lost as soon as his aeroplane arrives at the same altitude of his one or more adversaries.

In my improved aeroplane it is possible to remain at a high altitude and while traveling in a substantially horizontal plane command a firing range equal to practically the entire hemisphere below the aeroplane. The advantage of this is evident when it is considered that an aeroplane can travel in the lower fringe of a cloud where it is scarcely visible from below and at the same time its gunner can have a complete command, with his gun, of the entire hemisphere beneath.

Another object is to permit more ready inspection and observation of territory over which the aeroplane may be traveling, as for instance enemy fortifications, etc. In my improved aeroplane the observer, or gunner, may be seated below the body, or fuselage, of the aeroplane and have a full visual command of the territory below.

A further object is to establish means of communication between the gunner and his area of a sphere commanded by the applicants improvement.

None of the several parts employed in this invention, are, or need be, of any special or unusual construction, but for a more ready understanding of the aeroplane and of its construction and operation a preliminary description of the various parts involved may be apposite.

By way of illustrating the general application of my invention, only the essential parts of aeroplane involving such, are shown, all other parts comprising a complete aeroplane being well known to those skilled in the art.

Referring to the drawings, 5, is the front, or forward end of the rear body of an aeroplane of which 6, is the front body, or engine section, fire shield 7 separating the two said bodies. Top wing 8 is secured to the body by struts 9-9, and suitable stays, (not shown, but of well known form and purpose). Inter-plane struts 10-10, connect top wings 8, and bottom wings 11.

Bottom wings 11, are also secured to the of the aeroplane when in flight, this also being done in a well known manner.

The upper end of struts 15, and 16, are connected to the body and the lower ends terminate in bearing housings 17--17, and,

taken with shaft 18, and wheels 1919,

form the landing gear of the aeroplane, such a gear being well known in construction and function to those skilled in the art. For purpose of simple illustration the shaft 18, is assumed to be rigid and the landing stresses are taken up by the wheels 19, or tires thereof.

Plate 20, is secured to the under side of the top wing in approved manner and forms the upper terminus for tube 21, the lower end of said tube terminating in fitting 22. Said fitting is also secured to the axle 18, in approved manner and carries with it foot rail 23, through medium of webs 24.-24E. Slidable on tube 21, is gun mounting 25, which on its upper bearing 26, carries arm 27, for mounting gun 28. Said gun may be of any approved rapid fire type and is pivotally mounted on arm 27, in a manner to give universal movement and permit gun being fired in any direction desired. Such universal mounting is in common use and is well known to those skilled in the art.

Bracket 29, forming part of the lower bearing 30, of mounting 25, acts as means for securing and supporting gunners seat 31, on the mounting. Rope, or cable 32, passes over pulley block 33, attached to plate 20, and has one end secured to the mounting 25, at 3st, the other end terminating on cleat 35, secured to longeron of body 5.

Also secured to arm 27, is forward end 36, of communication tube 37, said tube passing through an elongated slot in the bottom of body 5, and thence up to the rear end 38, which is placed within convenient reach of the pilot.

The operation of my improved aeroplane is as follows; under conditions of flight in low altitudes, the gun mounting 25, will be substantially in theposition shown by the full lines thereby permitting attack of an adversary from in front and above the aeroplane. 011 approaching higher altitudes, the gunner in seat 31, removes safety pin 39, loosens cable 32, from cleat 35, and lowers himself and the mounting to the under side of body 5, as indicated by the dotted position of said mounting. In this manner and by using his feet on the rail 23, the gunner can turn the mounting around and point gun 28, in any desired direction, barring, of course, any struts as 15, or 16, or stays which may intervene.

By such command of the hemispherical territory below, the aeroplane can be maintained at a high altitude and successfully attack an adversary at a lower altitude without descent. Such attacks being of enhanced value on cloudy days when the aeroplane can be hidden in the lower edge of a cloud but still command a view and gun range of all territory below said clouds.

For example, an aeroplane of my improved construction can dart out of a cloud, obtain the approximate location of an ad versary machine, reenter the cloud, approximate its aim, and then by again coming out of the cloud can make a sudden attack without descending lower than the edge of the cloud, reentering again when necessary.

Vith the communication means which I have represented as a speaking tube 27, the necessary directions, or orders, can be given to pilot, or gunner as the case may require.

In Fig. 3, the shaded portion A, of the sphere represents substantially the area commanded by a single gun mounted on the forward nose of an aeroplane as is customary on many war, or military machines of the present time.

In Fig. t, the shaded spherical area A, represents substantially the portion of a sphere commanded by a single gun mounted on an aeroplane of my improved type.

Should it be desired, an additional gun can be mounted adjacent to the pilots cockpit and pointing rearwardly and upwardly. In this manner the entire sphere could be swept by both guns, whereas, at present an aeroplane having two guns mounted above the body controls substantially only one half of a sphere, a unidirectional flight in all cases, of course, being considered.

Although I have herein shown and described only certain forms of my invention it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a military aeroplane having a body, or car, a gun mounted thereon, a movable carriage supporting said gun, means for conveying said carriage from above to below said body or car, in combination with a system of communication, one end of which terminates adjacent the said body or car and the other end on said movable carriage.

2. In a military aeroplane having a body or car, a pivotally mounted gun thereon, means supporting said gun and its operator, in combination with means to convey said supporting means from above to below the car.

In testimony whereof I, OSCAR A. Boss, have signed my name to this specification this 30th day of August, 1917.

OSCAR A. ROSS. 

